[Niflheim]

#722520

The wind greeted her with chilled air and snowflakes, but she met it with little resistance, pushing forward as the overcast sky above rained down with frosted fractals. Eyes fluttered and on occasion she'd stop to shake out her fur, the cold air stinging the exposed flesh of the scar that marred the left side of her face. Wine red eyes narrowed, ears twitching to the far off cry of bird, head rose to look to the tree line, but all she could see was a blank sky. Far away the falcon flew.

In the distance she could see the mountains and for a moment she felt her stomach grip into knots. With how much she had traveled to distance herself from that horrible place, how much longer would she go? Would she ever be satisfied? Saboro had dug its claws into her a long time ago, and though freedom was hers and that place would be just another memory, it all still felt like fresh wounds. Even if years had passed her by.

The woman exhaled vapors into the air, snorting and shaking her head a snowflake landed and then melted on her nose, continuing on for quite some distance until a rustle in the brush caught her attention. It was a usually silent forest, especially this time of year when fresh snow made it harder to travel and hunt. Sharp eyes caught the reddish hues that mixed black and pale tan. Lips twitching for a moment as her brows knitted together. "Good afternoon." She called out carefully, as the splotchy woman tried her best to get a better look at her company without making it look terribly obvious. "Not many who travel during the heavy snow seasons, you lost?" Leery all the same.

[Artemisia]

The jungle was not a place for snow. It was warm and humid, and around these times it would be pouring down rain until the ground was too saturated to take any in, causing floods along the river banks and low-areas. Now that she was out of the jungle, the cold was almost unbearable. Artemisia experienced this phenomenon with little opinion besides it was just that — cold. Her thick fur helped her warm, though the wounds that still healed on her back felt exposed.

She normally did not wander far, she didn't want to leave Oriana again. Finding the wayward Queen had been hard before, and it had been luck that brought them back together. The ire that had built up had burst already, the flaming daughter had been calm throughout these weeks. Freedom tasted so good, no longer suffocating under the thumb of corrupted thorns.

As she walked, she did not realize someone else was around. Not until there was a voice. Artemisia stopped, heart racing as she almost gave a warning growl. Paranoia was still high, wondering if they would send Saboran dogs out to sniff out the ex-Hawkeye and Sabora. Red eyes spotted the woman, she was just as tense. No one recognizable, but Artemisia squinted. There was something familiar in those markings, particularly those orange spots.

"No." she replied shortly. She was not lost, only exploring things as new surroundings fascinated her. The snow already was a marvel to behold and she knew Oriana was not far off. "Are you not traveling?" she asked, as she could say the same for anyone else. They were traveling, yes, but slowly and with uncertainty of where they were headed. A destination in mind, but no sense of where.

"Who are you?" the Hawkeye demanded, keeping still as possible.

Why are you so familiar?

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